Hangman
by Mia M. Turner
Summary: After Bella's unfortunate encounter with James that landed her in the hospital, she can't sleep, and asks Edward to come play a quick game with her. ExB


**A/N**: Another short one, mostly intended for the purpose of pure fluff. I wished the hospital scene with Edward and Bella at the end of Twilight had been a bit longer, so that sort of inspired this little ficlet. I'll be honest, I was in a hurry to get through the end of Twilight so I could read New Moon, so this is strictly set in movie-verse. This takes place a short time after Bella apologizes to Charlie for leaving.

Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome and appreciated! Please tell me what you think!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Twilight.

"Come over here," I spoke softly, gesturing to Edward to come stand next to me.

Edward stayed in his spot against the wall, still pretending to be asleep. I sighed in annoyance and sat up a bit.

"I finished talking to my dad. Mom's down in the cafeteria with him. Please come over here?"

I smirked weakly when he instantly stood up and walked briskly to my side. I knew he wouldn't be able to resist such a simple request. (Especially considering the small whine and hint of innocence I put into my tone.)

I smiled up at him when he leaned forward and kissed my forehead gently. I closed my eyes, the pain in my leg numbing temporarily. It seemed he could take _any_ kind of pain away, no matter how intense, just by being so close. When he pulled away I reached over to the side of my bed, taking a napkin out of the untouched fast food bag Charlie had brought for me earlier. I took the pen laying next to it and clicked it open, scrawling busily on the napkin.

Edward raised a questioning eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"You'll see," I muttered, concentrating on my scribbling. It wasn't until I started drawing a series of short lines that Edward spoke up.

"Hangman?" he questioned. I smiled weakly at him again.

"Yes. I can't sleep. Sit," I moved to scoot myself to the side of the bed to make room for him, playfully rolling my eyes when his hands flew instantly to the pillow my broken leg was resting on, carefully pushing it to the side.

I sighed contently when he sat down, laying my head on his shoulder.

"Pick a letter," I mumbled.

Edward frowned, lifting a hand to stroke my hair.

"You don't sound too good," he observed worriedly. I sighed heavily, sitting up a bit to kiss his cheek.

"It's not really a habit of mine to run around fighting vampires," I responded. "So yes, I imagine I don't sound too good. Pick a letter."

Edward sighed, his gaze moving from me to the slightly crumpled napkin in my hands. "T," he mumbled. I grinned slightly as I drew a little circle for the head of the hangman's body. It was moments like these that I lived for. Just me and him. We weren't doing anything particularly special. In fact, it was rather childish. But I felt happier than I had in a long time. The emotion of being alone with him was beginning to overwhelm me, and the last thing I needed in my queasy stomach was butterflies, so I tried to concentrate on the game.

"Pick again."

"D," he managed, clearly uninterested. Or at least, more interested in something else. His hand moved to my shoulder. "Are you sure you're alright?"

I scrunched my nose as I scrawled a 'd' into two of the blanks. "Depends on your definition of 'alright'. Physically I could be better, but emotionally, never better."

Edward grimaced slightly. "You know I mean emotionally, Bella. What happened tonight... Er, not a lot of humans go through something like that..." He sighed again, realizing I refused to answer until he said another letter. "U."

I looked back down, filling in two more blanks. "If you're waiting for me to say I'm traumatized or something, don't hold your breath."

"But you are scared," he said as though it were a fact rather than a question.

"I'll be fine," I answered shortly, idly doodling some spirals in the corner of the napkin.

"But you _are_ scared," he repeated, determined to get an answer out of me. "L."

I bit my lip as I wrote. "Sure I am," I muttered, thoroughly embarrassed. "I mean, in the sense that I'm a little shaken up by what happened, and wouldn't be surprised if I had nightmares for days. But... not scared in the sense that I feel like you won't protect me. I trust you completely, Edward. You should know that by now." I sniffed slightly, prompting him to tighten his grip on my shoulder.

"I broke your trust by letting this happen to you." A slight chill when down my spine when he rested a hand on my cheek, turning my head to face him. Whether the chill was from the contact or the icy feel of his hand, I wasn't sure. "I will never let anything happen to you again Bella. Do you hear me? _Ever_."

I sniffed again, lightly clinging to his shirt with my free hand, snuggling closer to his hard, cold frame. Somehow though, it was still one of the warmest embraces I'd ever felt.

"This wasn't your fault. And it's not your fault I'm a weak human that... _feels_ so much. This whole ordeal with James... I'll get over it soon. As of right now, I don't even care about that. You're here, and that's all that matters. I love you so much..."

"Oh."

"... Oh? Is that all you have to say to me?"

"No, not 'oh', 'o'," he corrected, gesturing to the napkin.

"Oh," I replied, scribbling in the blanks.

"_You _I love very much too," he continued, my favorite crooked smile playing his lips. It made my stomach do somersaults. "I just worry," he pressed, moving his hand from my shoulder to my forehead. "I get the feeling you're not always... _entirely_ honest when asked how you feel."

"I'm fine," I answered shortly again, whining slightly when he guided me back down into a lying position, fluffing the pillow under my head. "Quit worrying so much."

"It's what I do," he said, resting his hand above the break in my leg. "E."

I smiled, writing in several E's on the napkin. He smirked slightly.

"Can I guess now?"

"Go for it."

He took the pen from my hand, carefully filling in the empty spaces before handing the napkin back to me.

_'I love you, Edward Cullen.'_

"You win," I giggled, taking the pen back from him. "One more round? Please?" Edward laughed back softly; the sound was music to my ears. He took the napkin from me, making a motion to throw it in the trash before apparently thinking better of it and placing it carefully into his coat pocket.

"It's late and it's been a long day. Get some sleep."

I gave him a pouty look, hoping it would convince him otherwise. Instead, he pulled me a little closer, taking my hand and entwining my fingers with his.

"It's okay," he whispered. "I promise I'll be here when you wake up."

I stared at the wall ahead, refusing to close my eyes. I wasn't looking forward to the nightmares, and wasn't even sure if I could trust that Edward really _would_ be there in the morning.

It wasn't until he began rocking me back and forth slowly, softly humming my lullaby, that my eyelids finally began to droop.

The last thing I remember before falling asleep was a soothing whisper in my ear:

"_I love you too, Bella Swan." _


End file.
